Re: "Flight-Critical Data"
It's not flight-critical because it's not for flight... it's for getting the engines cold enough that running large amounts of cryogenic oxygen/hydrogen through it won't do bad things.
It's the primary sensor, but it's not the only sensor. There's also temperature sensors in the tank and the vent, so that's how they know the sensor's "off" because it doesn't match the temperature it should be between those 2 points.
The problem is, it's an integral part of the engine. It would require rolling back and a lot of time pulling the engine and either putting a new one in, or disassembling it and replacing the sensor. Then after you do that, you've got to do another "wet dress" to qualify it for flight.
That would be 3 months of delay at least, because it's a lot of work.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
